Experts: Court ruling hurts whistle-blowers

Appeals court strikes down part of decision on ex-ISU employee

6:51 AM,
Aug. 22, 2013

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An Iowa court decision handed down Wednesday appears to protect people who retaliate against whistle-blowers if the conduct occurs before the employee can complain to a high-ranking public official, several legal experts said.

The Iowa Court of Appeals Wednesday ruled against a former Iowa State University employee who reported his boss for financial misconduct. The employee, Dennis L. Smith, 60, of Des Moines, was awarded $1.25 million in damages last year, more than half of which was for violations of the state's whistle-blower law.